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Exotic fjords

Hey, have you heard of fjords? Fjords are long strips of sea seen between steep hills, and they are a specialty of Norway, one of the Scandinavian countries. For travel buffs, a visit to the fjords should be on their bucket list!

Our journey through the fjords begins…

Heaven…

We had hired a SUV at Trondheim for our exciting journey to the fjords. We had friends from Poland, Russia, Iran and India who were accompanying us on this memorable journey. In fact, our Indian friend A had arranged the entire trip. Our Polish friend M was the driver. He was chirpy all the way, driving for almost eight hours around the fjords. The roads seemed treacherous at times and there were quite a few hairpin bends too. Here is the route we traversed: http://goo.gl/9nxwB. We drove for around 800 km in less than two days, stopping every now and then to enjoy the scenery around us. We went berry-picking for a short while. In another mountainous belt, we found snow. We played in that snow-clad mountain going up and down; we made a snowman too and rejoiced. Oh, the child in each one of us was predominantly seen!

Our snowman

Atlantic Ocean Road

The Atlantic Ocean Road that we drove along offered some panoramic views – seemed like we were headed straight to Paradise. The entire atmosphere was rhapsodic! We travelled through the Atlantic Ocean Tunnel. This 5,769-metre long tunnel is an underwater road tunnel and connects Kristiansund to Averoy – two terrific locations. We travelled with a lot of excitement on the 1,257-metre long Gjemnessund suspension bridge. We stopped there for a brief time to enjoy some special views and for some photo sessions too. Well, life in Norway isn’t very simple – you need to avail of the services of ferries and/or tunnels to reach the mainland faster. And, you will have to pay for these services each time.

Geirangerfjord

Can you locate some neat abodes?

We halted overnight at a neat place in Hellesylt, which was overlooking the awe-inspiring Geirangerfjord. Along with Nærøyfjord, the Geirangerfjord is listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We took a guided cruise across the Geirangerfjord. There was water gushing down the steep hills in the form of different strands and this was called the Seven Sisters. The climate was really cold and it was time for some cappuccino on the cruise. We could see people kayaking on the sea. The snow-capped mountain peaks with their varied hues took us to a different world altogether. Geirangerfjord is a 15-km long fjord. We were closest to nature’s bounty and we went into raptures at the visual treat. And this was my second trip across the scenic fjord in less than three years! Could I have been luckier than this?! 🙂

Visual treat, right?

A wooden enclosure to rest after a climb to the peak

Of course, this time it was a new experience travelling with my sweetheart and a new set of wonderful friends. We enjoyed one another’s company as we sang and exchanged some banter while on the road. Our two-day trip to the fjords ended with a steep climb to Snøhetta, apparently the 24th highest peak in Norway. Oh, there’s so much to write about this trip to the fjords, but I think I need to end now. Btw, for any specific information on the voyages I write about, feel free to get in touch with me via this site.

PS: The posts sometimes may be delayed due to time constraints, but rest assured that the experiences are ever fresh. 🙂